MTP -493G/T gene polymorphism is associated with steatosis in hepatitis C-infected patients

• Main Authors: E.R.F. Siqueira, C.P.M.S. Oliveira, M.L. Correa-Giannella, J.T. Stefano, A.M. Cavaleiro, M.A.H.Z. Fortes, M.T.C. Muniz, F.S. Silva, L.M.M.B. Pereira, F.J. Carrilho
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Brasileira de Divulgação Científica 2012-01-01
• Series: Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
• Subjects: Hepatitis C; Steatosis; Fibrosis; Microsomal transfer protein
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2012000100012&lng=en&tlng=en

The reduction of hepatic microsomal transfer protein (MTP) activity results in fatty liver, worsening hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The G allele of the MTP gene promoter, -493G/T, has been associated with lower transcriptional activity than the T allele. We investigated this association with metabolic and histological variables in patients with CHC. A total of 174 untreated patients with CHC were genotyped for MTP -493G/T by direct sequencing using PCR. All patients were negative for markers of Wilson’s disease, hemochromatosis and autoimmune diseases and had current and past daily alcohol intake lower than 100 g/week. The sample distribution was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Among subjects with genotype 1, 56.8% of the patients with fibrosis grade 3+4 presented at least one G allele versus 34.3% of the patients with fibrosis grade 1+2 (OR = 1.8; 95%CI = 1.3-2.3). Logistic regression analysis with steatosis as the dependent variable identified genotypes GG+GT as independent protective factors against steatosis (OR = 0.4, 95%CI = 0.2-0.8; P = 0.01). The results suggest that the presence of the G allele of MTP -493G/T associated with lower hepatic MTP expression protects against steatosis in our CHC patients.